Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Treaties

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on a global plastics treaty.

Robbie Moore: The UK is a leading voice in tackling marine plastic pollution, and co-sponsored the proposal to prepare a new international, legally binding plastics treaty. The UK is a member of the High ambition coalition to end plastic pollution and has taken an ambitious stance in negotiations, supporting a treaty that will address the full life cycle of plastic including restraining and reducing the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels, addressing plastic design and encouraging more recycling and re-use of plastic.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Questions 18568, 18569 and 18570 tabled by the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle for answer on 18 March 2024.

Robbie Moore: The Answer to Question 18568 was published on 20 March 2024. The Answers to Question 18569 and 18570 were published on 25 March 2024. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) the Environment Agency and (b) local authorities on the effectiveness of mechanisms to enforce the responsibilities of riparian owners for the maintenance of river banks.

Robbie Moore: Ministers regularly meet with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders to discuss flood and water management matters. Riparian landowners, those whose land adjoins a watercourse, are required under common law to maintain watercourses, including the removal of debris and blockages, which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away, as well as maintenance of the bed and banks, and any trees or shrubs growing on the banks. Where a stream or culvert becomes silted up, choked with weeds, or the flow of water has been obstructed causing flood risk to others, the Environment Agency and local authorities have statutory powers to require the relevant person to maintain the flow of the watercourse. The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK. By April 2024, new engagement guidance will be published to help Risk Management Authorities, Environment Agency staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter. The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Policy Statement sets out what we expect from those responsible for all assets and watercourses – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance and ensure timely repairs where necessary. Defra has commissioned an independent review of statutory powers and responsibilities associated with FCERM assets across all flood risks and coastal erosion. The review started work in 2021 and is expected to report this spring. This will review whether current mechanisms and legal powers are clear and effective and relevant expertise is shared; this includes the non-statutory powers and responsibilities of riparian landowners and asset owners. The review team is working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that it considers good practice and practitioner concerns, within the sector. Defra will consider its findings after publication.

Ministry of Justice

Rape: Prosecutions

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support the mental health of victims while they wait for rape trials.

Mike Freer: Supporting victims of sexual violence and abuse is an absolute priority for this government.We have taken a number of steps to support the mental health of victims while they wait for rape trials.In December 2022, the Ministry of Justice launched the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line to provide victims and survivors access to vital help and information whenever they need it.In August 2023, we launched the recommissioned Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, providing £26 million to over 60 specialist support services.The Government is also quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This includes additional ringfenced funding to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) to around 1,000 by 2024/25 - a significant increase on the number of ISVAs and IDVAs.

Legal Profession: Digital Technology

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to help ensure digital (a) literacy and (b) understanding among legal professionals.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice is driving the digital transformation of the legal sector by providing £6 million for the LawtechUK programme, which aims to increase innovation and adoption of lawtech in the delivery of UK legal services. Lawtech describes technologies which aim to support, supplement, or replace traditional methods for the delivery of legal services.LawtechUK offers a range of free education programmes designed to help organisations interested in harnessing the benefits of innovation for their legal operations. This includes Lawtech Bridge which brings together startups and established legal businesses to explore approaches to digital innovation.LawtechUK also organises events aimed at raising awareness and increasing understanding of lawtech. For example, a recent Lawtech Student Fair brought together law firms, alternate legal service providers and lawtech providers with students and junior lawyers to help ensure the next generation of lawyers are digitally literate and embracing technology.Whilst the Government aims to support a flourishing and innovative legal sector, the legal profession in England and Wales, together with its regulators, operate independently of the Government. The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority, the approved regulator for solicitors, supports innovation in the legal sector through their Innovate programme by helping law firms run their business creatively, supporting technology firms looking to develop products for legal businesses and bringing together law firms and innovators.

Ministry of Defence

Rwanda: Asylum

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the use of RAF planes  to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Leo Docherty: The Secretary of State for Defence has frequent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on issues affecting their Departments.

Antisatellite Weapons: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on space integrated battlespace in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The Space total spend on equipment costs by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend (million)2021-22£8.5112022-23£13.786  The Space delivery team total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend (million)2021-22£2.4212022-23£4.683  The Space team, which was stood up in March 2021, is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figure does not represent the total spend on all space projects across Defence.

Ministry of Defence: Written Questions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December to Question 5174 on Defence Equipment, when he plans to send the response letter to the Rt hon. Member for Garston and Halewood.

James Cartlidge: I responded to the right hon. Member on 3 April 2024. A copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on land combat vehicles in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The Land Combat Vehicle (LCV) delivery team total spend on equipment and support by financial year is as follows: FYLCV total spend(£million)2019-20£94.32020-21£208.52021-22£209.32022-23£189.2   The LCV total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows:  FYLCV total spend (£million)2019-20£12.52020-21£142021-22£12.52022-23£13.2  LCV is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figures do not represent the total spend on all land combat vehicles across the Department which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on air systems (a) equipment and (b) training in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The DE&S Air Systems Equipment and Training delivery team total spend on equipment by financial year (FY) is as follows: FYTotal spend (£million)2019-20121.7682020-21134.9552021-22111.0612022-2386.736  The DE&S Air Systems Equipment and Training delivery team total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows. This is not split out into separate Equipment and Training costs: FYTotal spend (£million)2019-20 14.726 2020-2114.0782021-22 11.2992022-2310.709  Air Systems is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figure does not represent the total spend on all air system project equipment and training across Defence which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Housing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22 of his Department's UK Armed Forces Defence Accommodation Strategy, published in October 2022, for what reason the target of no more than 10% of service family accommodation properties being vacant by September 2023 was not met; and whether he has set a new vacancy rate target.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) 10% void rate remains a valid target, however, a revised achievement date of 1 November 2026 was agreed with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in June 2023.The Modernised Accommodation Offer (MAO) will significantly increase eligibility and demand for Service Family Accommodation (SFA), which will be satisfied through the use of void SFA. This has changed the planning assumptions on which the original target was set and to dispose of void SFA ahead of MAO would increase reliance on the Private Rental Sector (PRS), creating additional, avoidable long-term costs to the MOD.

Defence Equipment & Support: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the Typhoon delivery team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people worked on the Lightning II Team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the UK Military Flying Training Systems Team at Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March 2024.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the Remotely-Piloted Air Systems Team at Defence Equipment and Support on average in each year from 2019 to 2024 as of 20 March.

James Cartlidge: The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the Typhoon delivery, Lightning II delivery, Military Flying Training Systems and Remotely Piloted Air Systems teams in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes. Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY. Financial YearTyphoon deliveryLightning II deliveryMilitary Flying Training SystemsRemotely Piloted Air Systems2018-19205.4139.75149.6147.82019-20216.2155.27164.77177.532020-21221.4164.65162.81175.642021-22311.6197.20171.83200.792022-23303.6202.16180.12195.79

Hazardous Substances: Waste Disposal

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which hazardous military waste materials are prohibited from being put into landfill as of 21 March 2024.

James Cartlidge: There are no derogations, exemptions or disapplications for defence activities within waste legislation. Therefore, hazardous military waste is dealt with in the same way as non-military hazardous waste. Hazardous waste prohibited from landfill, of relevance to Ministry of Defence activities, includes liquid waste and waste that would be explosive, corrosive, oxidising, flammable or highly flammable.

Defence: Costs

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on (a) chemical, (b) biological and (c) radiological defence in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: A number of areas within Defence, including DE&S, the Front Line Commands and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) conduct work or incur costs in these areas and financial information is not held centrally. Accordingly a departmental response can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinooks, published on 14 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the foreign exchange rate on the value of the contract for new Chinook helicopters.

James Cartlidge: The Foreign Military Sales agreement with the US Government is denominated in US dollars in common with all such cases. The forecasted cost of the programme is based on the most up to date exchange rate predictions from Defence Economics. The risk of future foreign exchange exposure will be mitigated by the Department’s use of forward purchasing arrangements.

Chinook Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Capability boost for UK's global military operations as contract confirmed for new Chinooks, published on 14 March 2024, what is the Initial Operating Capability of the new Chinook helicopters; and when this will be achieved.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 15 February 2024 to Question 12919.Chinook Helicopters: Procurement (docx, 14.8KB)

Armed Forces: Housing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 10351 on Armed Forces: Housing, if he will provide a regional breakdown of those figures.

James Cartlidge: The table below provides a breakdown per region of the number of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) which have been treated for damp and mould, loss of heating, loss of hot water, loss of water supply, electrical faults, and pest infestation since 1 April 2022. As previously advised, the damp and mould figures are provided from February 2023 and issues relating to the loss of heating and hot water are not recorded separately as boiler faults often affect both. The 1,674 SFA properties which had been treated for damp and mould was reported as at 10:00 hours on 18 January 2024 from the live reporting system. The end of day final figure recorded for 18 January 2024 was 1,679, as shown in the table below. IssueNo. of SFA in South EastNo. of SFA in South West No. of SFA in CentralNo. of SFA in NorthTotal no. of SFA properties Supporting NotesDamp and mould (provided from February 2023)7006561741491,679 Loss of heating and hot water8,1209,1173,3303,53524,102This figure includes all repairs associated with heating such as condensate pipes freezing in extremely cold weather, a faulty single radiator valve, a lack of hot water to individual taps and are not limited to just a total loss of heating or water loss.Loss of water supply91321548 Electrical faults8,9819,4907,3714,04429,886The electrical fault figure includes faults such as light bulb changes, one hob of an electric oven not working and electric shower issues. It does not always relate to any safety issue or total loss of electricity.Pest infestation1,8741,4731,1256515,123Pest control requests are responded to within 3 hours if an emergency, and within 15 days if routine.

Military Aircraft: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on multi-mission aircraft in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The DE&S Multi-Mission Aircraft Delivery Team total spend on equipment by financial year (FY) is as follows: FYTotal spend (£million)2019-20672.0702020-211,039.9942021-22655.9102022-23327.614  The Multi-Mission Aircraft delivery team total spend on operating costs by financial year is as follows: FYTotal spend (£million)2019-2011.2782020-2116.7892021-2215.9322022-2317.244  The Multi-Mission Aircraft Delivery Team is a specific project team in DE&S and the figures above represent the total spend of that team. The figure does not represent the total spend on all multi-mission aircraft projects across Defence which would not be held centrally and would not be answerable without a disproportionate cost.

Dstl: Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the PULSAR project in each financial year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 2 April 2024 to Question 19791.Dstl: Costs (docx, 27.9KB)

Dstl: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Influence and Command programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Land Systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Maritime Systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Missile Defence programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Security Systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Space Systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Specialist Systems programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the Support and Sustainability programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the engineering biology project at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the human augmentation project at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget is for the Advanced Materials programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in the (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 financial year.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget is for the Autonomy programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in the (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 financial year.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget for the Chemical Biological and Radiological Defence programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is for the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget for the Crime and Policing programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is for the financial year (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 2 April 2024 to Question 19791.Dstl Costs (docx, 14.9KB)

Department of Health and Social Care

Brain: Tumours

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of NHS funding for brain tumour research compared to research into other cancers; and if she will provide the quantum of NHS research funding into brain tumours for each of the last five financial years.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department invests over £1 billion per year into health research, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), whose research spending for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23. Funding for the delivery of brain cancer studies in the National Health Service cannot be disaggregated from other studies, but to indicate scale, in 2022/23 the NIHR Clinical Research Network supported 61 brain cancer studies and recruited 4,317 participants to these studies.Over the past five financial years, the NIHR has spent over £11.3 million in funding for brain cancer research. The following table shows the amount of funding awarded for brain cancer research, from 2018/19 to 2022/23:Financial YearFunding amount2018/19£2.9 million2019/20£150,0002020/21£2.2 million2021/22£5.3 million2022/23£750,000Total£11.3 millionNote: the amount of funding awarded will differ to actual spend in a given year, as total spending will include that of multi-year awards made in previous years.The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists, rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.To increase the quality, diversity, and number of brain cancer research proposals, the NIHR is working with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission and the research community, to develop research capacity in the brain cancer community.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people under the age of 18 were diagnosed with ADHD in the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: Data on the number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not held centrally, but may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.The Department is exploring options for improving data collection and reporting on waiting times for ADHD assessments and diagnoses, to help improve access to ADHD assessments in a timely way and in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines. In line with this, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has commissioned a research project to provide initial insights into local ADHD assessment waiting times data collection, and NHS England is currently scoping a national programme of work on ADHD, to understand more about the issues relating to ADHD service provision across the country.

Obesity: Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate oversight of how primary care settings deliver equitable access to weight management services in line with NICE Guidance.

Andrea Leadsom: Local authorities and the National Health Service provide a range of Weight Management Services (WMS) to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Generally, WMS delivered in the community are behavioural services provided by local authorities or the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, rather than in primary care.Local commissioners and WMS providers are expected to take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences, and values of their patients or service users. The NICE’s guidelines provide recommendations on best practice in terms of both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions and services. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, although health and care commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.Although primary care services are not a main provider of WMS, general practice (GP) is an important source of referrals to WMS. The Department funds the GP Weight Management Enhanced Service, which incentivises GPs to develop and implement a proactive approach to identifying and engaging with patients living with obesity, including the referral to WMS where appropriate. The service delivery specification for this enhanced service includes minimum standards such as undertaking training to have sensitive conversations about weight, and the review and restoration of the practice obesity register.

Obesity: Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to weight management services in areas of socioeconomic deprivation.

Andrea Leadsom: Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support their communities to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. These range from behavioural weight management programmes to specialist services for those living with obesity and associated co-morbidities.Local authorities are able to spend funding from the Public Health Grant on behavioural weight management services in line with local population need, including in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning NHS specialist weight management services in line with local population need, as well as determining the criteria for access to these services in line with relevant guidance.NHS England commissions the Digital Weight Management Programme nationally for people living with obesity and an existing comorbidity of either diabetes, or hypertension, or both. The 12-week programme is available via direct referral from any general practice or Community Pharmacy.The programme provides three levels of intervention at varying intensities, and patients less likely to complete a behavioural programme of this nature, for instance those of a younger age, from ethnic minority backgrounds, from a more deprived area, or who are male, are offered a higher level of intervention and support to retain their engagement on the programme. Approximately 50% of total referrals are from the two most deprived socioeconomic quintiles.

Obesity: Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Tier 2 weight management services are sufficiently (a) resourced and (b) integrated with (i) primary care networks, (ii) community health hubs and (iii) other relevant providers to offer comprehensive support for people living with obesity.

Andrea Leadsom: The National Health Service and local government provide a range of free tier two weight management services (WMS), to help eligible people living with obesity to lose weight. These are multi-component programmes, including dietary approaches and physical activity, with behaviour change support. The length of support can vary, but guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence suggests these should last at least three months. The NHS offers the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, which is a tier two service aimed at adults living with obesity, who also have type 2 diabetes or hypertension, or both, as well as NHS staff living with obesity. The 12-week programme is directly commissioned and managed by NHS England nationally, and is available via direct referral from any general practice or Community Pharmacy Local authorities are able to spend funding from the Public Health Grant on weight management services in line with local population need. They may be delivered as a standalone service or as part of an integrated service, for example with smoking cessation support. Where local authorities commission these services, they are responsible for determining the required resourcing and interaction with other services, along with weight management service providers Local authorities are part of integrated care systems (ICSs), which are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, and to improve the lives of people who live and work in their area. ICS membership also includes the NHS, social care providers, charities, and other organisations. Being a member of the ICS will help local authorities to work more closely with partner organisations and offer integrated support for people living with obesity.

Opioids: Overdoses

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to improve how it collects data on non-fatal overdoses involving synthetic opioids.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has a longstanding surveillance system in place to collect information on the nature and location of novel drug use, drug markets, and reports alerting us to drug harms experienced. We continue to monitor the threat posed by synthetic opioids, and are working to improve drug surveillance on synthetic opioids through development of an early warning system. The early warning system dashboard will pull together overdose-response data from ambulances, toxicology labs, and other key sources, so we know in near-real time where to target responses. We know that most overdoses take place when individuals are alone or accompanied by others also using drugs. This means they are largely transitory and hidden events with no opportunity for sampling. A key indicator, therefore, are those who do come into contact with first responders, who are administered the lifesaving opioid reversal drug naloxone, or who are admitted to hospital. Ambulance data represents an opportunity for rapidly identifying local spikes in overdoses and, for this purpose, we are establishing data feeds with ambulance trusts in England on callouts where naloxone has been administered.

Opioids: Overdoses

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to provide public health interventions for people at risk of overdosing on (a) naloxone and (b) other synthetic opioids.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department is actively monitoring, and responding to, the continued threat posed by the growing levels of potent synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and illicit fentanyl in the United Kingdom. A core part of this response is expanding access to naloxone, which is a lifesaving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. The Government recently consulted on proposed amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 so that more professionals and services can give out take-home supplies of naloxone to those at-risk of an overdose, as well as their friends and family. This consultation closed on 6 March 2024, and we will publish the next steps in due course.For those using opiates, treatment is the safest place to be. The Government is investing an additional £780 million over three years, through to 2024/25, to create a world-class treatment and recovery system, the largest ever single increase in treatment and recovery funding in England. £532 million is being invested specifically to improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. This funding is in addition to the Public Health Grant, and will grow the capacity and quality of the drug treatment system.

Drugs: Death

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's press release entitled £5 million fund to tackle fatal drug deaths across the UK, published on 29 August 2023, how this funding will be distributed; and what criteria her Department is using to select projects for this funding.

Andrea Leadsom: As part of the Reducing Drug Deaths Innovation Challenge, which aims to reduce drug-related deaths across the United Kingdom, the Department is investing in 12 projects to develop technologies aimed at improving detection, response, or intervention in potential drug-related deaths.Applicants submitted proposals, and these were assessed by an independent panel. Detailed assessment criteria were worked up by NHS Fife, and then moderated before awards were made. They included how well the project met the challenge described in the competition scope, the main technical challenges addressed, what similar products were available and how the proposal differentiated from them, project plan and milestones, expertise, cost, and commercial potential. We awarded funding to 12 projects, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/5-million-fund-to-tackle-fatal-drug-deaths-across-the-ukThis funding supports wider Government initiatives to tackle drug misuse in society. The UK’s drugs strategy, published in December 2021, has a key objective to prevent 1,000 drug deaths in England by 2025. This aligns with work within and across the four nations of the UK to improve systems of support and reduce drug-related deaths.

Health Services: Databases

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS plans to expand the use of System One computer software.

Andrew Stephenson: The procurement of electronic patient record systems is conducted at an integrated care board or trust level, following specific procurement criteria. Consequently, decisions regarding software adoption and expansion will be made by National Health Service trusts. All procurement activity for patient record systems is conducted in compliance with regulations, which means that the outcome of future procurements cannot be known at this point.

Electronic Cigarettes

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of adult vapers that may return to tobacco products as a result of the disposable vapes ban.

Andrea Leadsom: The health advice on vaping is clear, vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. However, youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children have now used a vape. We know that disposable vapes have played a significant role in this rise, with 69% of 11 to 17-year-olds who vape now using disposables, compared to just 7% in 2021. Disposable vapes also cause significant environmental harm, with five million disposable vapes thrown away every week.To protect children and the environment, the Government has taken the decision to ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes.The Impact Assessment on the disposable vape ban, published by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs on 11 March 2024, states that it is difficult to quantify the number of people switching either between different types of vapes, disposable to reusable, switching from vaping to smoking cigarettes, or stopping vaping or smoking altogether, as a result of a ban on disposable vapes.However, reusable and refillable vapes will still be available for adult smokers to use as a quit aid and as a more affordable option than smoking. Therefore, it will not be necessary for adult vapers to return to tobacco products because refillable vapes will remain easily available to them, at a small cost relative to most tobacco products.

Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Genetics

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has she made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the research article by University College London entitled Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use induce shared DNA methylation changes linked to carcinogenesis, published on 19 March 2024.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has commissioned research into cellular changes in lung tissue for those who vape to assess the risks of future cancer.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the research article by University College London entitled Cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use induce shared DNA methylation changes linked to carcinogenesis, published on 19 March 2024, if she will ban advertising for vapes.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government’s position on vaping remains unchanged, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. Studies are important in helping to better understand the long-term health risks associated with vaping, but the mentioned study, that was carried out by University College London, corroborated by Cancer Research UK, does not demonstrate a causal relationship between vaping and cancer. Overall, studies on the effects of vaping have so far shown that vapes are less harmful than smoking and can help people quit, although the long-term risks are unknown. Vaping is never recommended for children, and carries potential harms of future addiction while their lungs and brains are still developing. There is a lack of research on the potential long-term harms from vaping, and we are exploring future opportunities with the United Kingdom’s research councils. Otherwise, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 February 2024 to Question 12629, as our position on the advertising of vapes remains unchanged.

Respiratory Diseases: Health Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4959 on Respiratory Diseases: Health Services, how many Acute Respiratory Infection hubs were operating in winter 2023/24.

Andrew Stephenson: During winter 2022/23, 363 Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) hubs were implemented by integrated care systems (ICSs). The Department does not hold recorded information on the number of ARI hubs in 2023/24, as this information is held instead by local health bodies. The ambition in the recovery plan for urgent and emergency care is that each local area that would benefit from an ARI hub, has one in place ahead of winter. Evaluations from NHS England suggest that ARI hubs may save general practitioner appointments and accident and emergency attendances.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making access to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccinations available to farming and agricultural families that regularly interact with livestock.

Maria Caulfield: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination is not usually recommended for people aged over 16 years old, unless the risk of exposure is great. The vaccination can be offered to veterinary staff and those who handle animals or animal materials, for instance abattoir workers, which could be infected with tuberculosis (TB). Based on the current available evidence, only a very small subset of farmers may be at high risk of TB exposure and therefore eligible for vaccination. This does not include farmer’s household contacts or children who would not constitute a risk sufficiently high enough to warrant a recommendation for the vaccine. If the level of risk should increase, then the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation could be asked to review this.Eligibility for the BCG vaccination as an occupational health vaccine should be based on an individual risk assessment. Those eligible would need to access the vaccine through a private occupational health provider, and may seek further advice from the National Farmers Union. Non-National Health Service providers can charge for this service.Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), all new employees, including farmers, should undergo a pre-employment health assessment, which should include a review of immunisation needs. The COSHH risk assessment will indicate which pathogens staff are exposed to in their workplace, such as bovine TB. Staff considered to be at risk of exposure to pathogens should be offered routine pre-exposure immunisation as appropriate. This decision should also take into account the safety and efficacy of available vaccines.

NHS: Health Professions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help raise awareness of careers in (a) medical physics and (b) clinical engineering.

Andrew Stephenson: Promoting healthcare science careers is a vital part of our NHS Health Careers team’s work, covering 350 careers in the National Health Service. Almost 240,000 people accessed information on healthcare science careers over the last 12 months.As part of National Careers Week and Healthcare Science Week, an estimated 10,000 students heard directly from a range of NHS staff, including an apprentice Clinical Engineer and other healthcare scientists, as their stories were shown in classrooms across the country.We will continue to promote all healthcare science careers, including Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, as part of our work to raise awareness of all careers in the NHS, and encouraging people to join the NHS workforce. There are several case studies promoting careers in Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering on the National School of Healthcare Science website.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

West Bank: Violence

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of alleged settler violence in the village of Um al-Khair in the southern West Bank.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence. Extremist settlers, by targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.On 12 February, the Foreign Secretary announced new sanctions against four extremist Israeli settlers who have violently attacked Palestinians in the West Bank. These measures are part of wider UK efforts to support a more stable West Bank, which is vital for the peace and security of both Palestinians and Israelis.We continue to urge Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. We will consider additional actions, including further sanctions, as necessary. The UK continues to work with allies and partners, including across the region, to find a path towards a sustainable ceasefire and permanent peace.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Communication

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to (a) ensure consistency in the accessibility of departmental communications and (b) support the use of (i) sign language videos, (ii) audio recordings and (iii) other accessible formats in such communications across Departments.

Alex Burghart: On 5 February 2024 the government published the final Disability Action Plan together with the independent analysis of the consultation findings. The Disability Action Plan sets out 32 practical actions which the government will take forward over the next 12 months. Action 28 outlines steps the government is taking to ensure consistency in the accessibility of departmental communications. These steps include the publication of accessible standards, revising and improving guidance, training, and monitoring. The accessibility guidance emphasises the need for government organisations to consider the communication needs of individuals and, where appropriate, the provision of BSL and commonly-requested alternative formats. In July 2024, the government will publish the second BSL report that will outline what ministerial departments have done to promote and facilitate the use of BSL in their communications with the public. This follows the publication of the first BSL report in July 2023, which included a number of actions to continually improve the government’s use of BSL in public communications (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-british-sign-language-bsl-report-2022)

Unemployment: Long Covid

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were out of work as a result of having long covid in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Glen: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd March is attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 105.4KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment Schemes: Disability

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) planned spending is for and (b) expected number of beneficiaries are of the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme in each of the next five years.

Jo Churchill: The Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) programme is due to end on 21 September 2025. The forecasted spending for the 2024/2025 tax year and the beginning of the 2025/2026 tax year until the programme ends is shown in the table below. FORECAST 2024/2025  FORECAST 2025/2026  (up to 21 Sept 2025)£4.0m£0.5m  We do not produce a formal forecast of the number of participants for the IPES programme per year. The last intake of participants to the programme was December 2023. As of 29 February 2024, the total number of participants was 3,820. This number will decline as participants complete the programme, until September 2025 when the programme is due to end. Please Note The figures in the table have been rounded to the nearest million.The data recorded in the IPES dataset does not meet the standards required to be included in the Official Statistics. Please treat the total number of participant value as a guide figure rather than an actual figure.

Jobseekers' Allowance and Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) fiscal and (b) economic impact of the reduction in the permitted period during which (i) Universal Credit and (ii) Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants can limit their work search to their preferred sector or pay level.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Jobcentres: Pilot Schemes

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the (a) fiscal cost to the public purse and (c) savings associated with the rollout of Additional Jobcentre Support.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the total number of work coaches required to implement the roll-out of Additional Jobcentre Support.

Jo Churchill: A 12-month extension was announced in Spring Budget 2024, which will enable us to better understand the impact of Additional Jobcentre Support.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Electricity: North of England

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the impact of trends in the level of standing charges on the affordability of electricity bills in (a) Yorkshire and (b) the North East.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of potential merits of introducing a fixed national standing charge for consumers.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem launched a call for input on standing charges, which closed on Friday 19 January 2024, looking at how it is applied to energy bills and what alternatives could be considered.Ofgem is currently analysing the responses and will publish its response in due course.On 30 March, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State and I wrote to the Chief Executive of Ofgem, highlighting the importance of keeping standing charges as low as possible.

Electricity: Standing Charges

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with Ofgem on discrepancies in the cost of electricity standing charges across the country.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had discussions with Ofgem on trends in the level of standing charge prices across (a) England and (b) Yorkshire.

Amanda Solloway: DESNZ Ministers and officials regularly discuss with Ofgem issues relating to the energy retail market. Standing charges are a commercial matter for suppliers, although Ofgem regulates standing charges as they do with other elements of billing. This includes setting a cap on standing charges as part of the overall default tariff cap. The variance in standing charge is mainly due to regional differences in energy distribution costs. These costs reflect the expenses of maintaining and upgrading the distribution network in a specific area, and the number of consumers those costs are spread across. On 30 March, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State and I wrote to the Chief Executive of Ofgem, highlighting the importance of keeping standing charges as low as possible.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Advertising: Codes of Practice

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of new advertising codes to address emerging challenges presented by (a) social media and (b) online marketing activities.

Julia Lopez: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for the enforcement of the advertising codes while its sister organisation, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), codifies advertising standards. Both organisations operate independently of the government and monitor developments in technology and advertising techniques to ensure the codes are enforced and remain fit for purpose.

Home Office

Spiking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will issue guidance to the police on ensuring that people providing statements are asked whether they have had their drink spiked.

Laura Farris: The Home Office does not intend to issue guidance as described, as it would not be appropriate for such a question to be asked to all individuals providing statements to the police.All incidents are taken seriously by the police, and officers will always seek to follow relevant lines of enquiry. The questions asked by the police will therefore be specific to the circumstances of each particular incident, including the individual’s version of events.If there is anything to indicate that there is an element of spiking it will be fully investigated.

Spiking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided to police officers on the impact of the spiking of drinks on victims of that crime.

Laura Farris: Each Police force has a dedicated spiking lead who all meet regularly to share learning. At present, forces design and deliver their own spiking training and this is informed by NPCC and Home Office policies.Some forces, including Cumbria Police and the Metropolitan Police Service, are in the process of reviewing their spiking training.

Women's Aid: Finance

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to provide funding to Women's Aid in the next three financial years.

Laura Farris: Tackling violence against women and girls is a government priority. Our strategies aim to transform the whole of society’s response to these crimes with actions to prevent abuse, support victims and ensure more perpetrators are bought to justice. The Home Office has provided funding to Women’s Aid of up to £1.34m until March 2025 to deliver the Flexible Fund. This fund will help hundreds of domestic abuse victims next year who will receive lifeline payments to help escape tormenting and often life-threatening abuse, providing the chance to rebuild their lives. We are also investing £753k into Women’s Aid next year to improve the awareness of domestic abuse amongst young people. Funding beyond March 2025 is subject to future budgets which will be set through the next Spending Review process.

Official Visits: Rwanda

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department takes to assess the (a) potential impact and (b) value for money of (i) his visit to Rwanda in December 2023 and (ii) other ministerial overseas visits.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons he used a private charter flight for his visit to Rwanda in December 2023; and whether his Department made an assessment of the potential merits of using alternative forms of transport.

Michael Tomlinson: All Government spend goes through thorough due diligence to ensure best value for money.Stopping the boats is one of our top priorities. The cost of the asylum system could reach up to £11 billion per year by 2026, so bold solutions like our partnership with Rwanda are required.Various elements, such as security and timing, will be taken into consideration when looking at Government travel, including use of the Government’s plane. On the visit, the Home Secretary signed a joint treaty with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Dr Vincent Biruta, strengthening the UK and Rwanda’s Migration and Economic Development Partnership and directly addressing the concerns of the Supreme Court.

Police Custody: Women

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that women who are held in police cells are supported by at least one officer who is a woman.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to ensuring that custody is a safe and dignified environment for all detainees, visitors and staff which operates professionally, respectfully and lawfully. Police custody is governed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice which sets out the legal framework for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police ofﬁcers. PACE Code C requires that as soon as practicable after arrival at the police station, each detainee must be given an opportunity to speak in private with a member of custody staff of the same sex as them about any matter concerning their personal needs relating to their health, hygiene and welfare that might affect or concern them whilst in custody. Arrangements must also be made for ensuring that a girl under the age of 18 is placed under the care of a female member of staff. As policing is operationally independent of Government, Chief Constables and elected Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for the operational management of custody suites.